The Page Education Foundation is a local nonprofit based in Minneapolis that helps young people from low-income families get to college, through financial assistance and mentoring. Those young people become Page Education Foundation Scholars, and the program requires them to commit to giving back by mentoring other kids in the community.
Last year they started a pilot program, ‘Begin With A Book’, where the recipients of Page Education Foundation grants volunteered their time at other community programs reading aloud to younger children. The pilot program was a success, showing real impact on the lives of the younger kids, and so they looked for ways to expand.
But to do that, they needed books.
Having done some homework, they knew they could sign up with First Book to get new, high-quality books to start the library they needed to expand their program. To raise the money quickly from members of the community, they turned to Groupon, the online coupon company that provides “daily deals” in different cities.
Groupon, which also works with local nonprofits, set up an offer to let Minneapolis residents donate $10 toward the foundation’s plan to build a library for its ‘Begin With A Book’ program. Over 130 people chipped in, raising $700 to pay for 274 brand-new books.
“Now books can be introduced to hundreds of community sites across Minnesota and thousands of younger children can benefit from having a positive role model reading aloud to them,” said Eric Rahman, development coordinator at Page Education Foundation.